Iridacea cormes  »IIle de Maurice ?? 2

As with the neighbouring accession labelled "unidentified Iridaceae, Mauritius," this second lot, specified as "corm-bearing," could not be reliably assigned to a known genus or species; the description therefore remains at family level. The underground storage organ observed here is a corm, a swollen, fleshy stem base typical of many Iridaceae genera such as Gladiolus, Crocosmia or Watsonia, none of which occur wild in the Mauritian flora — this may therefore be a horticultural introduction. Cormous Iridaceae typically show fan-shaped sheathing leaves and zygomorphic, six-tepalled flowers. Without reliable identification, no specific flowering time or cultivation requirements can be given.